Russia Sees Possibility of US Exit From NMDRussian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said Monday he believed there still exists possibility that the United States abandons its national missile defense (NMD) plans."I don't believe the U.S. decision to deploy a national antimissile defense system is irreversible," Ivanov said. " Otherwise we wouldn't be holding consultations with the U.S. on these problems, including at the top level." Talking about possible Russian actions if the U.S. withdraws from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty, Ivanov said Russia "is not going to threaten anyone." Russia "will not go as far as an arms race. There are no reasons for that," he said. Stressing that it is not a voluntary choice by his country, Ivanov said Russia could use little amount of money to improve by folds the battle efficiency of its missiles by installing multiple warheads. "No serious additional funds are needed to increase the number of nuclear battle units many times over," he said. |
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